Human Trafficking Overview

What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. Victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex or forced labor. Victims are children, teenagers, women, and men.

Catholic and other health care organizations and their health care professionals can help victims of human trafficking by being alert to the problem and realizing patients they are treating may be victims.
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Upcoming Events

Human Trafficking Awareness Resources from CHA

Developed to raise awareness among staff of CHA member organizations of the problem of human trafficking, CHA has developed a flyer on the chocolate trade as well as two general awareness posters — FREE for CHA members!

International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking (Feb. 8)

A Reflection for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (January 11)

Remarks at the Annual Meeting of the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Obviously, preventing human trafficking, unlike some of the issues we wrestle with which are defined by nuance or by some complexity, this is not. This is not complex and there's no nuance. This is absolutely an issue of extreme moral clarity. And it is about also our collective security, and the interaction between this multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise, which is what it is, not only is a corrupting factor in the capacity of countries to live up to the standards that we want them to and to meet many needs across the board.

"So whether it is shining a light on our own procurement practices or working to ensure that forced labor is not providing the labor for illicit activities, that is why we are working across the board with faith leaders, with the private sector, with government agencies in order to try to up our capacity to be able to enforce the laws and to, obviously, diminish the impact of this scourge."

— Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks at the Annual Meeting of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Read his entire speech.

Pope Francis Appeal

On Wednesday, May 1, 2013, Pope Francis launched an urgent appeal to Christians and men and women of goodwill worldwide to take decisive steps to end slave labor. " … How many people worldwide are victims of this type of slavery, in which the person is at the service of his or her work, while work should offer a service to people so they may have dignity. I ask my brothers and sisters in faith and all men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in persons, which includes "slave labor."